Kris, Juniper (Jelly Dog), Gary and I headed into George Washington National Forest for a mountain bike ride yesterday. The weather could not have been better for a ride/hike in the woods. This was Gary's first taste of "technical", rock garden mountain biking and he came away with the scrapes and bumps to prove it. Let me just say here and now that Gary more than held his own, considering the terrain and relative lack of experience on such rough trails. Our route took us up Gap Creek trail, which almost immediately greets you with plenty of rocks and a steady incline. It was the first section of the trail that Gary had a couple of falls on (see photos for the aftermath). Near the top of the mountain is the Massanutten trail (orange blaze), which connects to the Scothorn Gap trail. We decided to continue to the top for a side trip to Duncan Knob before heading south on the Massanutten trail. The side trip was well worth it and as always the views from Duncan Knob were incredible. Another one of my favorite features of Duncan Knob is the rock scramble near the top. After our short detour, we were bombing back downhill to catch the orange blazed Massanutten trail. This trail was pretty easy going compared to the climb in, with a few muddy spots from recent rain. Before we knew it, we were standing at the intersection with Scothorn Gap, preparing for a rocket ride downhill and back to the start point. First we stopped to take in the view near a pond and drink a beer that the ever resourceful Mr. Hayne was kind enough to bring along! Juniper Jelly Head took time to enjoy the pond too and chase minnows. It is literally all downhill from the pond back to the truck and for the most part we took it easy so Juniper could keep up. All in all it was a great ride and other than a few minor scrapes and scratches, we all made it out unscathed and will live to ride another day. "Thrive Outside"
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